I agonized over what I wanted to make for my special Mother's Day dinner. While bored in school, I would take out some paper and start jotting down recipe ideas and flavor combos. I wanted to make this dinner perfect and I wanted to make it with new ingredients my mom had never had. Something special, something, fun, something fresh and light. The easiest component was the drink. Stevia Sweetened Iced Green Tea! Inspiration from the glorious drink that is a Starbucks Unsweetened Iced Green Tea (which I drank multiple times everyday down in DC.) But the main "food" components were a lot more challenging.
But of course, I consider myself an amateur food blogger and an experienced cook through and through. Of course I would come up with something, and that I did. The only scary thing was I wouldn't be testing these recipes out until that day. Fingers crossed everything cooked and didn't taste like...crap. I chose to utilize my newest obsession with grilling chicken and make a "robust" smokey grilled chicken breast. I say robust because I used ground coffee in the spice rub! Then I chose a lighter, fresher, Spring-inspired side dish. Watercress I knew I had to use! I had never had watercress and wanted to try it. A weed looking green, but full of powerful flavor. And millet! One of my favorite gluten-free grains and one that my mom had never tried.
And then of course I had to create a lovely atmosphere to go along with the meal. We don't have a dining room or any thing fancy in our house. Our table is usually covered in papers and, well, my mom uses it as her desk. So it had to be cleared off, but once that was done a simple setting with the resources I had would suffice.
Then it was time for the cooking. I started with the Iced Green Tea earlier in the day. I wanted it to have ample time to get very cold and have the flavors infuse. Since I don't use sugar, I use Stevia, and my mom has never had a drink sweetened with it. Well I wanted to prove to her that it was so much better than your old run of the mill white processed cane sugar. And so I did. I used my mom's fine crystal glasses that have never even been taken out of the box. Fragile...careful handling was the name of the game.
Stevia Sweetened Iced Green Tea
Ingredients: (serves 2)
+ 2 Green Tea Bags
+ 2 Packets of Stevia
+ Water 😉
Directions:
+ Boil enough water to fill to tea mugs. Let the tea steep for about 5 minutes. Add 1 stevia packet to each mug. Allow the tea to cool once done steeping, then place it in a large container and refrigerate for a few hours. When ready to serve, shake it up and pour into pretty glasses (you can add ice and then shake, but I didn't want ice to water it down).
The tea out of the way, it was time to make the salad. Again, I pre-made the millet a few hours before so it could cool off completely in the fridge since this is a cold salad. Then later all I had to do was chop, chop, chop and toss! a together so pretty. I love the fresh bright spring colors. Beautiful greens and red from my favorite raw veggie, the beet 😉 Also a splash of fresh lemon juice to brighten the salad further and give everything a nice zing. No heavy dressing here!
Fresh Spring Millet Salad with Watercress & Lemon
Ingredients: (serves 2-3)
+ ½ Cup Millet
+ 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
+ 1 Tsp Onion Powder
+ 2 Cups Watercress
+ 1 Endive (chopped)
+ 1 Medium Beet (chopped)
+ 1 Large Portobello Mushroom Cap (sliced and chopped)
+ ¾ Cup (about 22) Snow Peas (jullienned)
+ 1 TB Lemon Juice + Zest of Whole Lemon
Directions:
+ Cook millet according to directions on package. Add the garlic and onion powders in while it cooks. Allow it to sit and cool in the pot when done, then fluff with a fork and store in the fridge.
+ Wash and chop all you veggies, then in a large serving dish, add the beets, mushrooms, endive, and snow peas. Next add the millet and lastly add the watercress. Then zest the lemon and pour the lemon juice on. Toss everything together and store in the fridge until ready to eat.
Finally all I had to do was dry rub and grill the chicken. This would be the make or break dish. And I had to pray that the grill had enough gas. I have been using it a lot and we haven't gotten new gas since last summer. Fingers crossed! But as luck would have it, it worked! The chicken grilled and we didn't die from under-cooked meat. My grilling confidence has severely increased 😉
Robust Smokey Grilled Chicken
Ingredients: (serves 2)
+ 2 Cleaned and Trimmed Chicken Breasts
+ ½ Tsp Ground Coffee (Instant)
+ ⅛ Tsp Black Pepper
+ ¼ Tsp Cumin
+ ¼ Tsp Smoked Paprika
+ ⅛ Tsp Coriander
+ ¼ Tsp Chili Powder
+ ¼ Tsp Garlic Powder
+ ¼ Tsp Onion Powder
+ ¼ Tsp Cinnamon
Directions:
+ Combine all the spices together in a small bowl. Then rub the chicken breasts evenly, all around with the rub. You can allow them to marinate in the fridge for a few hours, or you can grill them right away.
+ Make sure your grill is heated (I cook my chicken on an oiled piece of foil to avoid any cross-contamination). Cook the chicken on one side for 10-12 minutes, flip, and cook for an additionally 10-12 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked though.
Once all the food was done, it was time to plate. Ah, the presentation. The most crucial part of the culinary experience. We eat with our eyes first, ey? Well I kept it simple. I dished out the salad around the plate, keeping the middle open, so I could place the chicken breast right there in the center. Then A sprinkle of parsley over everything to keep it classy.
I was staring at the point. Mouth-watering aromas did not help. I had kept my mom out of the kitchen this whole time and told her to get ready. She had to get a bit dressed up for this occasion. I changed into a dress while the chicken was cooking...but I left my socks on 😉 Before I called her in though, I had to appease my food blogger habits and photograph everything. I even took an instagram picture with my phone so I could upload this occasion later for you all to see 😉
Then I finally called my mom in and we sat down to enjoy this meal together. It was nice and silent in the house. We didn't talk much like we usually do, but it was nice. Just sitting and eating together with some peace. With all my worries and preparations, everything came out delicious and I was so happy 🙂 Mission accomplished.
I think I want to start doing more regular Sunday dinners this Summer. It would be a great time to just relax and enjoy each other before I leave for school in a few months. My brother is home too, so it would be nice to have him join in. But now I just need to start cooking bigger quantities of food so I can feed them all 😉 I am getting to used to cooking for just myself.
My mom asked if there was dessert to go along with this dinner. Well, no I did not make dessert, haha. But her birthday is coming up on the 28th, in 1 week, and I will make dessert for her then 😉
So tell me:
+ What was your Mother's Day dinner like? Did you do the cooking or did you have someone cook for you?
+ Do you have a special day each week where you sit down to dinner all together?
*Recipe linking up for the week! WIAW, Allergy Free Wednesdays, #RecipeFridays, #RecipeOfTheWeek, #StrangeButGood, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Real Food Friday, Gluten-Free Fridays, Tasty Tuesdays, , Gluten-Free Tuesday, Healthy Vegan Fridays, #Foodie Friday, Real Food Recipe Roundup!*
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Arman @ thebigmansworld
Hands down, my favourite S+S recipe to date- Might be biased because of the chicken but YUM!
such a gem for pulling this off- I hope I get this treatment when I come...I will bring fresh chickpeas...in a bouquet.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Ahahaha, thanks! All chicken and nice salads are usually gonna be pretty steller 😉
Do you know I've been pretty hesitant around chickpeas ever since my near death experience a few months ago? Well, I have.....it's a sad thing 🙁
pam (Sidewalk Shoes)
What a lovely mother's day dinner.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Lol, it was!
vegetarianmammac
Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂
Its live now!
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
Strength and Sunshine
Thanks Cindy!
Sophie at Franglaise Cooking
Wow! What an incredibly thoughtful daughter you are! This looks like an amazing meal, I especially love the look of that salad.
Thanks for linking up to #TastyTuesdays, I have pinned this to the Tasty Tuesdays Pinterest board.
Strength and Sunshine
Your so sweet, thank you Sophie!
Stephanie
Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! Your recipe has been pinned to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! Please join us again this week!
Strength and Sunshine
Thanks Stephanie!
tessadomesticdiva
Yum! Featuring this great idea on Allergy Free Wednesday this week, thanks you for sharing it with us!
Strength and Sunshine
Thanks Tessa! I am so honored 🙂
organic4greenlivings
Yum! Sounds delicious and so healthy! Love the salad with all the greens and I never heard of putting ground coffee on chicken but I am always open to new ideas. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays Blog Hop. Twitter & Pinned!
Strength and Sunshine
Thank you! I live using all the fresh produce I can while its in peak season, and the coffee rub is awesome 😉
Adelina Priddis
I could eat that salad all the time, sounds so wonderful and fresh. Thanks for sharing it on Foodie Friday
Strength and Sunshine
Thank you! It is just calling to be eaten all spring and summer long 🙂
Jo-Lynne Shane {Musings of a Housewife}
That looks really delicious. Glad you had a nice mother's day.
Strength and Sunshine
Thanks Jo-Lynne, it was nice 🙂 I hope you did too!
Elvira
Reading this, I wish I had learned to cook back when I lived with my parents. I love the idea of using coffee in the chicken rub!
Strength and Sunshine
Well you can cook for them now! It is never to late 😉 Cooking for others is so rewarding!
I had seen cook used in rubs before and wanted to make some of my own! Total experiment that turned out great!
Lisa
This looks so divine. Something fancy yet simple. Thanks for sharing at the Saturday Dishes Recipe Link!
Strength and Sunshine
Well thank you Lisa 🙂
Marissa @ Life is Fantasmic
YUM!!! I’d love for you to share this at my Saturday Dishes Link Party this weekend! It’s a themed link up & this week’s theme is Memorial Day & Grilling! Feel free to share other old or new posts that fit the theme as well if you have them! (:
http://lifeisfantasmic.blogspot.com/2014/05/saturday-dishes-memorial-day-grilling.html
Strength and Sunshine
Sure Marissa! I will stop by now 🙂 Thanks for asking me to join in 🙂
Marissa @ Life is Fantasmic
Thanks so much for taking the time to link up! I hope we see you at Saturday Dishes again soon!
Strength and Sunshine
🙂 Sure!
fitfoodiemama
Yum!!! That watercress salad looks amazing!
Strength and Sunshine
Thanks love 🙂
Astrid
I've never had most of the ingredients on your menu, but I've had watercress and love it. It's been forever since I had it though. Your stevia-sweetened iced green tea sounds great too.
Strength and Sunshine
Thanks love! You should give this meal a try then 🙂
Nichole
That looks so incredibly tasty!! And how sweet!
Strength and Sunshine
Thank you Nichole 🙂
Becca @ Becoming Adorrable
That looks delicious!
Strength and Sunshine
Thanks 🙂
ana @ fit, fun & delish!
Wow what a fantastic menu for Mother's day! I love how you planned it so well. Yum!
Strength and Sunshine
Thanks Ana 🙂
Aimee @ Irresistible Pets
That looks amazing!
Strength and Sunshine
Thanks Aimee 🙂
Sue @ This Mama Runs For Cupcakes
This looks amazing! I will definitely be trying it!! Thanks!
Strength and Sunshine
Thanks love! Let me know if you do 🙂
Tina Muir
Rebecca, you may well be the best daughter in the world! Wow! You are incredible! Especially with the little handmade menu, that is so lovely! I can only imagine how great you are going to become at cooking by your mid 20s! You are going to have people lining up to eat with you!!! I did not eat with my mother as she is in England, but I did make some cookies while my dad was here, that I sent back for her!
Strength and Sunshine
Haha, thank you Tina! I love cooking so much and cooking for others is even better!
That is so sweet! I am sure she was so glad to receive them 🙂 A little love sent over seas 🙂
jessielovestorun
You are such a sweet daughter. The meal you prepared for the two of you sounds divine. I'd never heard of including ground coffee in a mix for the chicken. Very cool. Will have to give it a go one of these days!
Strength and Sunshine
Thanks Jessie 😉
The coffee really just deepens the flavor, nothing strong of crazy, but it really works well!